SOX17 enables immune evasion of early colorectal adenomas and cancers. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38418875/)

These scientists wanted to understand how early colorectal cancers avoid being detected by the immune system. They created colon cancer organoids in the lab that had specific genetic mutations found in early colorectal cancer. They then placed these organoids into the colons of mice to see how they would adapt to the natural environment.

After studying the genetic material and how it was organized in these organoids, the scientists found that a specific gene called SOX17 became more active when the organoids were inside the mouse colons. When they removed the SOX17 gene, the cancer cells were not able to survive as well inside the mice.

Interestingly, the few cancer cells that did survive without SOX17 had immune cells attacking them, unlike the cancer cells with SOX17 which were able to avoid the immune system. The scientists discovered that SOX17 prevents the cancer cells from recognizing and responding to signals from the immune system that would normally attack them.

Furthermore, SOX17 also causes the cancer cells to change into a different type that is less likely to be recognized by the immune system. This transformation helps the cancer cells to evade detection and continue growing.

In conclusion, the scientists found that the SOX17 gene plays a crucial role in helping early colorectal cancer cells evade the immune system, allowing them to grow and spread.

Goto N., Westcott PMK., Goto S., Imada S., Taylor MS., Eng G., Braverman J., Deshpande V., Jacks T., Agudo J., Yilmaz OH. SOX17 enables immune evasion of early colorectal adenomas and cancers. Nature. 2024 Feb 28. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07135-3.